The marshmallow is so named because it used to be made from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant. However, today gelatin is used instead.
Does anyone still make marshmallows from the marshmallow plant, and if so, where can I get some? (I’m in London, so a local source would be preferable.) Also, is there any noticeable difference in taste between marshmallow marshmallows and gelatin marshmallows?
I have tried searching for these in the past with no success; the Marsh Mallow is not a very common plant and it would probably be illegal or at least impractical to gather it in the wild, and the habitat (marshland) is not something that is easy to cultivate.
The demand level is probably right there on the dividing line - too high to make sustainable wild harvesting possible, too low to make it worth cultivating.
It’s easy to get Marsh Mallow root. Just go to a store specializing in natural herbs. I’ve found it in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in Salem, Massachusetts.
Get yourself a good herbal. I got one for Pepper Mill, who grows herbs herself. That one describes the growth and use of Marshmallow. The stuff you buy is the root. If you boil it, you get a glutinous extract that’s good for soothing sore throats. If you boil it down, sweeten it, and let it set, I imagine you’d get classic “Marshmallow”.
If you’re really into it, you can obtain your own plants from Marshes (it’s the marsh mallow, after all), or I’m sure you can buy it somewhere. According to the book, the plant Marsh Mallow has edible rounding bits that are called “cheeses”. These don’t seem to be associated with the “Marsghmallow” medicine/throat cure that apparently lies at the root of today’s Marshmallow treats, but maybe it influenced the shape.
Here is an article about one guy’s attempt to make a “real” marshmallow. He says they dont’ much resemble the marshmallows we know.
You actually want to buy and consume something “mucilaginous”? Good luck to ya 
Mucilage goes down a treat in some cultures; in parts of Africa, there’s a herb soup called Melokhia that has a glutinous texture - the main ingredient is actually a close relative of the Marsh Mallow. In parts of (I think)central or south America, they have a cactus soup that is similarly gloopy.
All looks like a bowl of snot to me, but Vive la Différence and all that…
And then there’s okra (another relative of Marsh Mallow), which is also mucilaginous.
It’s threads like this that make me love the SDMB in all of its mucilaginous glory.
Just sayin’.
Is the OP refering to what I have always called Bois de Panama? It is so called because it is most commonly found in Lebanon, IIRC.
The OP has no idea, since he has never encountered nor even heard of bois de Panama. Why on earth is it named after Panama if it’s found mostly in Lebanon? And more importantly, what is it and why is it being mentioned in a thread about marshmallows?
Excuse me, pardon me, let the herbalist into the thread please!
ahem
You prob’ly won’t like them. If you do, it won’t be because they’re like the marshmallows you know. They’re little hard cookies - like merengue cookies - not smooshy fluffiness and goo.
Marshmallow infusion (it extracts MUCH more goo in cold water than hot, by the way) is, in fact, more or less exactly like snot. I dare my students to drink it. It’s like the old spitoon joke - you can’t really take a sip, you sort of end up sucking down the whole bowl due to it’s viscosity. It has almost no taste, however.
Marshmallow marshmallow recipe here. You can see why they’re like merengue cookies - they **are **merengue cookies, with marshmallow root added.
No tapioca pudding for you, then.
Is it ever! :dubious:
I remember the first time I ordered okra. It was in a fairly fancy restaurant, and wasn’t cheap, so I felt obliged to at least eat some of it, but I soon had to give up as the texture was actually making me retch. Yum 
Bois De Panama ('Wood of Panama" in French) is the name given to different things. the first (Quillaja saponaria) is from the Americas (presumably Panama). When boiled, its bark gives us some scummy stuff, that when cooled and whipped, gives a very white, stiff foam. It was used in marshmallows since at least the turn of the last century.
The other plant (Saponaria officinalis) is found in the Middle East in the Old World. It yields a similar mousse (called naatiffe in Arabic that is the basis of a number of confections, including karabij in Egypt. It has an slight almond taste and so was never used in marshmallows. It is sort of the local analogue to whipped cream.
Both are commonly called soapwort.
The marshmallow plant of Europe (Althaea officinalis) is a sort of hollyhock kind of common flower. It is related to the Asian mallow. It was the basis of the old marshmallow, but was displaced first by bois de Panama, and later by Gum Arabic (from Acacia senegal while I am looking up stuff).
As a recipe, I can give only a general outline.
Boil sugar (syrup) to the hard ball stage. Add your gelling agent (take your pick). Add flavoring or coloring (vanilla is called for IIRC). Beat in egg whites. allow to set in a shallow pan, dust with confectionary sugar and cut into cubes.
Does that help?
(All of this is from The Oxford Compainion to Food, a book every cook need around the house.
Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants says:
Warning: Saponins contained in this plant can cause severe irritation to the digestive tract.
To add to my previous post, there used to be a beverage made from orchid roots and named Salep or Saloop, popular in the 1800s - it was mucilaginous.
I’ll not be at all surprised if there cannot be found something with that approximate texture in nearly every food culture on Earth.
All-natural marshmallows. They’re mucilaginously delicious.
Do any of these plants occur naturally in North America?
Soapwort Saponaria officinalis is a common introduced roadside weed here., but …
Cheeses, Malva neglecta, mentioned above is a common lawn weed. It’s called that because the edible fruits look like cheese wheels. They don’t taste the least bit cheesey though.
Marsh mallow, Althaea officinalis is occasionally found on swampy ground around here, but isn’t common.
I don’t know if any of these are found in New Mexico. It would surprise me if cheeses and soapwort could be found there.
…wouldn’t surprise me…
This kind of gives me an idea of replacing eggs with okra snot (and some other stuff like tumeric and yeast flakes) … hmmm…
Has anyone followed the Yahoo link to www.aseli.de? Do they sell old-fashioned marshmallows?